HomeArsenalArsenal transfer window special: Mikel Arteta needs major backing...

Arsenal transfer window special: Mikel Arteta needs major backing or Gunners could slide further

- Advertisement -

Mikel Arteta has not been subtle about his need to spend money to adequately strengthen his Arsenal squad. He has made it more or less clear to the Arsenal board, ‘back me in the transfer window or see Arsenal slide down further’.

The Gunners are going into the market on the back of their worst Premier League season in 25 years and are set to be out of the Champions League for the third year running.

- Advertisement -

Arsenal have already made noises about being a Europa League club with a Champions League wage bill and if they do not beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday, there will be no European football for them next season.

The pandemic has also hit their finances like any other club and there are serious question marks over how much Mikel Arteta would get to spend in the summer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rhwGbJgQf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Apart from that, Arsenal’s recruitment has also come under the scanner. Ditching Sven Mislintat’s analysis-based approach for Raul Sanllehi’s old school contact book style recruitment has faced criticism.

There are also concerns that the Gunners are depending too much on super-agent Kia Joorabchian for players.

Regardless of all the problems, one thing is certain that Arsenal need key signings to even break into the top six next season with top-four already seeming unrealistic at the moment.

Arsenal need a new spine

Arsenal’s defence has been lambasted for a few seasons now. They concede too many soft goals and often crumble under pressure. However, wins over Manchester City and Liverpool showed there was resilience at the back.

But some of the underlying statistics make it clear that there has not been much improvement under Mikel Arteta.

William Saliba will be an Arsenal player at the start of next season. He is highly rated and the club worked hard to get the deal over the line last year.

However, he is still 19 and expecting a teenager to be a transformative signing for their defence would be ludicrous.

The Gunners already have way too many senior but flawed defenders in Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis and David Luiz. Saliba will need a calm head beside him in order to let the young Frenchman settle in.

RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano has been touted as an Arsenal target but it is unclear whether the Gunners have the money to spend €60m on a centre-back this summer.

Granit Xhaka has improved since he seemed like leaving the club in January. But he remains an inconsistent player and Arsenal are looking to bring in a more robust defensive midfielder.

Thomas Partey is their top target but Atletico Madrid rejected their €25m plus Matteo Guendouzi (we will come to him later) bid earlier this week.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCt92BwK0a4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

They do not want to sell the player and Arsenal will have to trigger his €50m release clause to sign him. But the Gunners have indicated they won’t be doing it. So, here we are!

Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move to Arsenal and on the face of it, the rumours seem ludicrous. He will demand a massive pay packet and even if Barcelona agree to loan him out, the fee is expected to be steep.

A transfer fee for the Brazilian could be out of Arsenal’s range as well. His performances in the last two seasons are not good enough to justify a potential big outlay on him.

However, he is a Kia Joorabchian client and how many expected David Luiz to join Arsenal from Chelsea last year and how many still believed that he will be given a new contract this year?

What about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi?

Arsenal want to keep one of those players and he is the one who didn’t come from Real Madrid. Sorting out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract is a priority for Arsenal as they do not want to sell him this summer.

Luckily, the Gabon captain is happy at the club and enjoys playing under Mikel Arteta but on the flip side, he is 31 and he is slowly running out of time to win major trophies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCO8406nMCD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Will he be convinced about being part of a project under Arteta that will take a few years for fruition? Can Arsenal provide any guarantees or assurances to the striker over signing players that will take the club back into the Champions League next year?

Aubameyang has been prolific for Arsenal but the club will have to answer a few tough questions before he signs a new deal. Barcelona and Inter Milan are monitoring his situation at the Emirates.

Mesut Ozil is the highest-paid player in the Arsenal squad and will remain so even if Aubameyang signs a new contract. The club are paying for losing their nerve two years back and offering him a massive new deal.

Mikel Arteta clearly doesn’t trust him and the 31-year-old has not played a minute of football since the season came back from lockdown. No one expects him to play in the FA Cup final as well.

How do Arsenal solve such an expensive problem? There is little they can do other than paying off the rest of his contract and let him leave this summer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBkzs8HJ6cS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Mesut Ozil’s agent has made it apparent that he is happy to sit through the final year of his deal and leave Arsenal next summer.

That is the nightmare scenario for the club and Arteta as the Arsenal manager will be asked about Ozil in every press conference. It will a running distraction next season.

Arsenal are flogging Matteo Guendouzi around Europe. He has already been offered to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona as part of swap deals.

The Frenchman was more or less exiled from the first team towards the end of the season due to disciplinary issues and we have a feeling that was a wrong move on Mikel Arteta’s part.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfyd-0qU_2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In a market where clubs are expected to be extra careful about spending money, why would anyone want to buy a player for a considerable fee who was more or less kicked out of the squad because of his attitude? Why would Atletico Madrid let Thomas go for €25m and an ill-disciplined Guendouzi?

The Frenchman remains highly-rated talent but Arteta knocked a few millions of his value when he was cut out from the squad.

Also Read: Tottenham transfer window special: Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy’s relationship faces its first real test

- Advertisement -

15 Highly Educated Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket is a game of passion and dedication. A sport in which one involves themselves in camps and practice since early childhood. Due to...

Why are more and more MotoGP riders using the Noson nasal dilator?

Introduction MotoGP riders or athletes are physically fit and healthy individuals and their muscles are continuously functioning and used during the performance. As a fan...

Do we often under-appreciate Andy Flower? What’s his legacy?

There's a hint of sadness in noting that Zimbabwe has never been a dominant power in world cricket. But nothing could be sadder than...

How Come UFC Fighters Have Cauliflower Ears But Boxers Don’t?

The UFC has come a long way since its early days, wherein the fights seemed like modern-day gladiators due to its brutality and inconsistent...

5 spinners who can be India’s potential finger-spinners

The Indian cricket team has always been proud of its ability to produce world-class batsmen and similarly potent spinners. Though in recent times, the...

IPL 2018: The beautiful Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Being seated in the Sawai Mansingh stadium brings a different world, a world of difference away from the palpable excitement of watching truly India’s...

Top 5 Left Wingers In The World, Based On 2019-20 Season

Owing to the fact that football has evolved a lot since its inception and the tactics have changed a lot, the role of wingers...

The astonishing decline of Mario Balotelli

There was a time when Mario Balotelli was on top of the world.  The Italian talisman had scored two goals in the Euro 2012 semi-finals,...

What can be expected from the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Heat in the air and heat inside the car- that's been the story of the Azerbaijan Grand prix. As F1 parks itself at Baku...

How Suresh Raina Batted India Into The Finals of 2011 World Cup

Its been 9 years, since India won the Cricket World Cup defeating Sri Lanka on 2 April, 2011. The images and visuals of...

Age Fraud in Indian Cricket: Are players really to be blamed?

There have been times while watching a cricket match when we tend to hear commentators comment on cricketers’ age. We as fans have many...

Ajax XI if they didn’t sell their star players

Based in Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, who incidentally draw their name from the legendary Greek hero of the same name, are the most successful club...

IPL 2018: The best from the West Indies

When one of nature's treacherous attacks on mankind- earthquakes- strike, their impact is measured on Richter's scale. When West Indians strike in a tournament...

Big change for India Women’s cricket as BCCI looks to finalise bowling coach soon

We are not even at the halfway stage of the 2018 cricketing season. It clearly seems there's no stopping India's women's cricket team. The...

5 famous players to play for both Leeds United and Liverpool

Leeds United are back in the Premier League after 16 years and will play Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday in their very first match...

- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -